headlight bulb 35w or 55w?

[Larz]

Job well done, mates! Thanks for going to all that trouble to confirm that info.
I wouldn't buy any brand aside from Phillips / Osram. I also won't buy bulbs from just any seller. It is estimated that up to 75% of bulbs on Ebay, Amazon, etc are cheap knock-offs from Asia that are labelled to appear like brand name products.
Replacing bulbs on our M's (like many other brands) requires a bit of work. If I am going to go to all the the trouble of lifting the car, removing the wheel and inner fender trim ... I want to be sure I don't have to re-do because I bought a cheap bulb that doesn't put out significant lumens or blows after 6 months. Who wants to be bothered with going to all that trouble in such a short time?
You cannot expect good results if you buy a set of D2S bulbs from sellers on those sites with prices starting at $20 - $50.
Here is a perfect example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pcs-BRAND-NEW ... 930wt_1194
They present themselves in HUGE font stating "U.S. seller". But they don't mention where the actual bulbs come from. They also make sure they mention Osram / Phillips, stating they are 'compatible'. Compatible means nothing - it does NOT mean 'equal to' - so they are leading you to think they are equal by using an incorrect word that sounds like 'comparable' (equal to) but actually means 'getting along with' - what has that to do with headlamps?
They also do NOT list the lumens (brightness) produced by the bulbs, but they make sure they say '6000k' which is just the colour, NOT the brightness. They even go as far as listing the Osram and Phillips part numbers as the 'manufacturer part numbers'. Legal? - yes because they don't state they 'perform like' or are even close in quality to those brands.
It's funny that they promise: You don't have to wait weeks for bulbs to arrive from Asia because we ship from the US. Translation: We already order these crap bulbs frorm Asia in advance, and stock them in our U.S. whse so we can get them to you quicker.
I reckon companies like these sell massive amounts of bulbs (probably to the same buyers every 6 months when the bulbs fail).
You will NOT get wholesale prices from places like The Retrofit Source or Vleds. What you WILL get is the actual bulb from the actual manufacturer - and all the quality they come with.
Father Larz stepping down from the pulpit now, LOL.

[Larz]

UPDATE AND TEASE:

I have installed the Osram D2S 66240 CBI bulbs. Also installed new fog lamps as one of mine somehow got moisture and rust in it and looked crap. I installed the MGP caliper covers which keep the brakes cooler and send brake dust out and behind the wheel instead of messing up the outside. They also give the appearance of big brakes. I have received my Osram 'light@day' DRLS and will be installing them early next week.
Next week my new GoPro 3+ black edition camera should arrive and I will post a video of night driving with the CBI's.
A tease about the CBIS:
My old bulbs were Phillips Ultinon 85122 WX (considered the abolute BEST for D2S bulbs) so to say that the Osram CBI's are amazing by comparison really says alot! The CBI's perform exactly as promised - sharper cut-offs, significantly brighter with a wider coverage area on both sides of the road, and at least 20m more beam distance! As amazed as I am compared to the Phillips bulbs I can honestly say this: If you currently have OEM bulbs ... Be prepared to be absolutely gob smacked with surprise when you install the Osram CBI's. They are truly that good!

In about a week I should have the video uploaded to my Youtube page and I will post here with the link, also links to order, prices paid, and installation comments.

[Larz]

As promised:

new-mods-completed-this-week-t588873.html

The link to my post listing the mods with links and prices.

Turns out I actually DO have a video to share until my GoPro gets here.
I had completely forgot about the car camera! It runs 24/7 to document an accident or event. I went off on a drive last night along A1A by my house and also through a mate's area where there are few street lights. Mind you, this is a ho-hum quality cam INSIDE the car so it films through the windscreen. The camera is mounted at the top of the windcreen and angled slightly down so it doesn't capture the view angle from the driver seat looking forward over the hood. Osram CBI bulbs (and others) get brighter and stronger after the 'break-in' period and I reckon I have less than 3 hours on them in this video so they are not broken in yet. The car camera records at 1080p, but YouTube won't allow you to change the resolution that high on playback ?!?!?

Some things to notice whilst watching:
1) Driving directly under a street light, this camera records a weird colour coming from the headlamps. It has always done this for some unkown reason.
2) About 10 seconds in, you can see the sharp cut-off on the passenger side as I pass a white car on my right.
3) Notice how the light bean is very wide. On a 4 lane road, it lights all 4 lanes and entire intersections.
4) Looking straight forward, you will notice how far the beam reaches in front of the car, illuminating road reflectors, etc.
5) The AFS feature is also more pronounced with the headlamps turning just as the car begins to make a L or R turn.
6) When passing another car, and at stop lights with a car next to me, my headlamps wash theirs out, almost as if they have their lights OFF.

For purposes of ownership, the music tracs are:
Empire - Shakira
Gorilla - Bruno Mars

When my GoPro gets here, I will do a proper video with the camera mounted outside and aimed forward, duplicating what you see whilst driving.

http://youtu.be/DnyP14B6wXA

[aiham78]

Wow, it is totally different and much better than OEM, very wide too. Thanks for introducing these bulbs to me.